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(No Model.)

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FIRE ARMORQ Patented-May1 .1w.

V I K b WITNESSES u INVENJOR ava/6% Ca /W0 I I By ,fl-ttorney 56W N. PETERS, Phdlwu lmgrlpher. Wnhinghm. D.C

v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES MOINTOSH, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

FlRE-ARMOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 257,962, dated May 16, 1882.

Application filed March 8, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES MelN'rosH, of Jersey City, county of Hudson, State of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fire-Armors, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, makin g part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view, representing a person clad in myimproved armor complete. Fig.2 is a perspective view of the mouth-piece and tube detached; and Fi g. 3 represents asection through one of the eye glasses or protectors.

My invention relates to a novel armor for .protectin g the wearer from fire and enabling him, where necessary, to passthrough flame and smoke, whether for the purpose of escape, for the rescue of life or property, or for extinguishing the fire.

The'armor consists of a suit, wrap, or gar ment, made by preference of asbestos or other suitable material, such as will withstand the action of fire, or of ordinary flexible material coated with asbestus or equivalent protecting material; a mouth-piece provided with a flexible tube arranged to supply the wearer with air taken from the interior protected side of the garment or wrap, and eyeglasses or goggles protected by asbestus or its equivalent from the action of the fire, combined with and forming part of the fire-armor, as hereinafter explained.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents an outergarment or wrap, shown made in the form of a loose cloak or mantle extending to the feet, and provided with a hood, A, for protecting the head, and with sleeves A A for covering and protecting the arms and hands. The hood A is represented as covering the entire head, face, and neck, except that it is provided with openings for the eyes and mouth; but it may be sufiicient to simply cover the neck and the top and back of the head, leaving the face uncovered for the application of r the eyeglasses and mouth-piece, hereinafter described, and instead of being made in a single garment, as shown,the armor maybe made up of parts, consisting of a body with sleeves, a separate lower garment, either in the form of a skirt, to be secured at the waist, or of pantaloons; and the hood or head-piece may also be made separate from the coat or body of the garment, and each adapted to be secured, when on, in any convenient way.

In the drawings the cloak or wrap is represented as open in front, with its edges adapted to lap well one over the other, and secured by buttons, and, whethe r made in this or other convenient form, the entire garment, as far as practicable, ismade from asbestus, or of other suitable material covered or coated on its outer or outer and inner sides with asbestus, for protecting the person from the action of the fire.

Asbestus, whether carded or felted or otherwise reduced to sheet form, is open or porous in its nature, and permits the ready passage of air through it, while preventing the passage of smoke and flame, and, being incombustible, when applied in the form of a covering or garment, as explained, serves to protect the person from injury from fire fora sufficient period of time to facilitate escape or the passage of the wearer to or from a burning building.

B is a mouth-piece adapted to fit snugly ov,er and fully protect the mouth, and provided with a long flexible tube, 0, extending through an aperture or slit in the garment in such manner as to take the supply of air from the inner protected side of the garment, thus obviating not only danger of inhaling flame,

but also, as far. as practicable, all danger of strangulation from smoke. The mouth-piece is secured to the head by means of elastics b and b, the former represented as passing from the mouth-piece, or the tube in front thereof, around the back of the head, and the latter passing up over the head for upholding the mouth-piece in proper position to protect the mouth. Any suitable arrangement of the fastening devices may be employed. The mouthpiece B and tube 0, like the garment A, are formed of or covered with asbestos or equivalent material for protecting them from the action of the fire. v I

D represents the eyeglasses, which may be of the form or construction usually denominated goggles, being adapted to fit snugly over and protect the eye, and provided with rims of asbestus, or with its rims d, covered with asbestus, inthe form each of the frnstum of a cone, d, extending beyond the glass 01 may be formed in part of or coated with as bestus sufficiently to protect them from the action of the fire when exposed thereto. Thus a complete armor is provided of fire-proof material for protecting the person of the wearer from fire, one adapted to be quickly put on when required for use, and which, while especially designed for facilitating the escape of persons from burning buildings, will be found also of great service to firemen in enabling them to penetrate such buildings in their efforts toget at and extinguish the fire, or for the rescue of persons and property therefrom.

Having now described my invention, I claim- 1. In a fire-armor, a mouth-piece provided with aflexible tube penetrating the outer wrap or garment, and adapted to take its supply of 2 5 air from the inner protected side thereof.

2. The combination, with a fire armor or wrap, of eyeglasses provided with protectingrims of asbestus, said glasses forming a part of the fire-armor, substantially-as and for the 0 purpose described.

3. A-fire-armor consisting of an outer wrap or garment of asbestos, in combination with a mouth-piece and eyeglasses protected by asbestus or its equivalent, substantially as de- 5 scribed.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 7th day of March, A. D. 1882.

CHAS. MGINTOSH.

Witnesses:

J AS. H. CANNON, W1). P. SMITH. 

